1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a clip for mounting a fluid delivery device for spraying a fluid, such as a cleaner or deodorizer, on the inside surfaces of an enclosure, such as a toilet bowl, a shower enclosure, or a bathtub enclosure, where the body of the clip can be rotatably adjusted relative to the hook of the clip to direct dispensed fluid to the inside surfaces of the enclosure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toilet bowls require care to prevent the buildup of unsightly deposits, to reduce odors, and to prevent bacteria growth. Traditionally, toilet bowls have been cleaned, deodorized, and disinfected by manual scrubbing with a liquid or powdered cleaning and sanitizing agent. This task has required manual labor to keep the toilet bowl clean.
In order to eliminate the detested manual scrubbing, various toilet bowl cleaner dispensers have been proposed. One type of dispenser comprises a solid block or solid particles of a cleansing and freshening substance that is suspended from the rim of a toilet bowl in a container that is placed in the path of the flushing water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,670 (which is incorporated herein by reference along with all other documents cited herein) shows an example of this type of toilet bowl cleaning system. Typically, a portion of the solid block is dissolved in the flush water with each flush, and the flush water having dissolved product is dispensed into the toilet bowl for cleaning the bowl.
Other toilet bowl cleaning systems use a liquid cleaning agent that is dispensed into a toilet bowl. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,178,564 and 6,230,334, and PCT International Publication Nos. WO 99/66139 and WO 99/66140 all disclose cleansing and/or freshening devices capable of being suspended from the rim of a toilet bowl for introducing liquid active substances from a bottle into the flushing water with each flush. In these under the toilet rim devices, the liquid active substances are delivered downward from a reservoir to a dispensing plate that is supported by a base that is suspended from the toilet bowl rim. The device is suspended from the toilet rim such that the flow of flush water from the toilet contacts the dispensing plate during a flush. The flush water carries the liquid active substances that are on the dispensing plate into the toilet bowl to clean and freshen the toilet.
Other toilet bowl dispensers use an aerosol deodorizing and/or cleaning agent that is dispensed into a toilet bowl through a conduit attached to the toilet bowl rim. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,178,070 discloses an aerosol container mounted by a bracket on a toilet rim with a tube extending over the rim; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,029,286 and 5,862,532 disclose dispensers for a toilet bowl including a pressurized reservoir of fluid, a conduit connected to the source of fluid, and a spray nozzle which is installed on the toilet rim.
One disadvantage with these known toilet rim dispensing devices is that these devices may only apply the deodorizing and/or cleaning agent to one location in the toilet water or a limited area in the toilet water or on the inner surface of the toilet bowl. As a result, the cleaning of the inner surface of the toilet bowl may be limited to an area of the toilet bowl near the device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0136937, which is owned by the owner of the current invention, sets forth, among others, an automatic or manual toilet bowl cleaning device where the inner surface of the toilet bowl is cleaned around the entire circumference of the toilet bowl. In one embodiment illustrated in that application, the downstream end of the conduit terminates in a nozzle capable of spraying the fluid outwardly onto the inner surface of the toilet bowl. The nozzle is attached near the rim of the toilet bowl.
Several techniques are available to provide limited adjustment for devices attached to the rim of a toilet bowl. Adjustment has been generally limited to either (1) accommodating toilet bowl rims of varying width, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,286 wherein a ratchet arrangement between two members of the hook is used to adjust the hook for varying rim widths, or (2) attempting to accommodate the depth of the rim and bowl geometry by adjusting the vertical position of the device below the rim. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,017 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,898,806 and 7,114,199 incorporate a ratchet arrangement between the hook and the body to allow discrete vertical adjustment of the device below the rim of a toilet bowl. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,396 allows for continuous adjustment of the body with respect to the rim by the use of a friction fit wherein a flat bar hook is wedged within a hollow channel formed within the body.
The previous means of adjustment, however, may not adequately position the nozzle so that the dispensed fluid reaches the extremes of the inner surface of the toilet bowl when the toilet bowl has an asymmetric or elongated rim/inner surface configuration.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved clip for mounting a nozzle near the rim of the toilet bowl.